|
Further recognition for Renault's safety expertise
Mégane II and Vel Satis join Laguna II in the highly exclusive "Euro NCAP 5-star" club
Mégane II has won the much-coveted "Car of the Year 2003" award, granted by an international jury of 58 motoring journalists. No fewer than 30 new models were competing for the award. This is the fifth time that Renault has won this top honour.
With today's announcement of the results of its latest phase of crash tests, Euro NCAP has confirmed Renault's supremacy in safety. With a score of 33.12 points out of 37 , Vel Satis is now the safest saloon in the executive-car segment.
With a score of 33.10 out of 37 , Mégane II is the first C-segment vehicle to achieve this level of leading-edge performance. Mégane II is a worthy successor to Mégane I, which had remained "best in class" since 1998 despite the arrival of more recent competitors.
Genuine expertise for the safest range on the market
The Euro NCAP results show that the Renault brand has become synonymous with safety. This is particularly important as the assessment criteria adopted by Euro NCAP, for front impact in particular, cover over 80% of accident scenarios that actually occur on the road.
As with Laguna II, Euro NCAP underlined the excellent crash resistance of the structures of Mégane II and Vel Satis. The cabin was totally intact after the impact, with no intrusion whatsoever.
The Vel Satis structure is made of high-tensile steel, which is two-and-a-half times stronger than conventional steels. The front and rear cross-members, also made of high-tensile steel, absorb a large proportion of kinetic energy in the event of a front impact to ensure optimum occupant protection. The components housed in the engine compartment have been designed to collapse together and play an active role in the programmed deformation of the structure. In the event of a side impact, the aluminium side doors incorporate profiled beams which allow energy to be absorbed and distributed between the front, centre and rear pillars. The pillars have been reinforced by inner panels up to 4.3mm thick.
The Mégane II structure is also designed to turn the cabin into a survival cell in the event of an impact. The structure is made of innovative materials, with 2% ultra high-tensile steels and 10% high-tensile steels. In a front impact, the Mégane II architecture ensures that the loads are spread along three main channels. The engine compartment units have also been designed to collapse together in the event of an impact, and thus absorb energy.
To deal with a side impact, Mégane II is fitted with a stiff centre pillar with programmed articulation. When impact occurs, the occupant is protected by coming into contact with the padding built into the door panel, thus limiting intrusion into the cabin. The thickness of the centre pillar and roof cross-member has been doubled, there is a mid-section strengthening ring and the doors are fitted with anti-intrusion beams.
In terms of occupant restraint, readings taken from the dummies following the Euro NCAP crash test indicate that Mégane II and Vel Satis drivers and passengers are very well protected in an impact. This is shown by the colours of the dummies after the test: mainly green (good protection) for the head and legs, and yellow (adequate protection) for the thorax.
Both vehicles are fitted with the third-generation Renault System for Restraint and Protection (SRP), which was first used on Laguna II: front airbags with two inflation levels to adapt to impact severity, coupled with safety belts fitted with load limiters – set at 400kg for the front seats – and double pretensioners for the driver and front seat passenger.
Euro NCAP points out the excellent performance of the double pretensioner, which has virtually eliminated any risk of submarining (as shown in accidentology data for Laguna II).
Safety is the keynote of Renault's corporate culture
Safety has been a key focus of Renault's corporate culture since it began its first accidentology and biomechanical studies some 50 years ago. Since then Renault has constantly introduced innovative approaches to push back the limits and enhance the safety of its products. Determined to immediately extend innovative features to the whole model line-up, Renault has always developed vehicles which offer consistent levels of safety. Although today all car makers share the same safety equipment, Renault's strength lies in the expertise of the 600 technicians and engineers who work on assembling and developing these systems.
For Renault, Euro NCAP is not an end in itself, but an excellent way of measuring its expertise. Renault's safety efforts extend far more widely. Many other types of safety equipment are also fitted that are not rated by Euro NCAP, including anti-submarining systems for front passengers, 600kg load limiters and pretensioners for rear side seats, and Isofix attachment systems for child safety seats.
Vel Satis will be launched in New Zealand in the second quarter of 2003 and Megane II will be launched in the third quarter of 2003.
|
